6 Etiquettes / Manners You Should Observe While Attending An Iftar Party

Hasten to break the fast (before Maghrib Salaat)This is the sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad: Sahl Ibn Sa’d (radiAllahuanha or radiAllahuanhu) said that the Messenger (salallahualeyhiwasallam) of Allah (subhanahuwata’aala) said:

“The people will continue to be in good condition as long as they hasten to break the fast.”
[Bukhari and Muslim]

Make supplications at the time of breaking the fast
Abu Huraira said the Messenger (salallahualeyhiwasallam) of Allah (subhanahuwata’aala) said:

“The supplications of three groups of people’s are not rejected; the du’aa (Supplication) of the fasting person when he is breaking his fast, the du’aa of the just Imam and the du’aa of the oppressed.”[Tirmidhee, Ibn Majah and Ibn Hibbaan]

Feed a fasting person

“Whoever gives food to a fasting person with which to break his fast, will have a reward equal to his, without it detracting in the slightest from the reward of the fasting person”.[Tirmidhi]

Do not refuse an invitation for Iftar
Abu Hurayrah (radiAllahuanhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (salallahualeyhiwasallam) said, “The rights of the Muslim upon the Muslim are six.” It was said, “And what are they Oh Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “When you meet him, give him the greeting of peace, when he invites you, respond to his invitation, when he seeks your advice, advise him, when he sneezes and praises Allaah, supplicate for mercy upon him, when he becomes ills, visit him, and when he dies follow him (i.e. his funeral).” Thus a Muslim is obligated to accept invitations from other Muslims.

I have compiled 6 etiquettes of Iftar which you should observe when attending an Iftar Party:

Engage in supplications during the period before the time to break the fast

Pray Sunnah prayers after Maghrib

Do not engage in idle chatting with other guests

Do not over-eat at dinner

Make du’a for your host(s)

Don’t miss Ishaa or Taraweh because of the Iftar Party

There is much debate on whether Iftar Parties are really beneficial during the month of Ramadan or if it merely adds to the detractors of blessings of this blessed month. Maybe, we should eliminate the word ‘party’ and just call it an ‘Iftar.’ However, the issue of Iftar Parties is not in itself a disastrously horrible event if the hosts and guests are conscious of their behavior throughout the night. My 6 etiquettes listed above should assist in ensuring that our Iftar Parties remain a spiritual event, and not turn into a party in the real sense of the word.

If you feel as though the Iftar Party setting is not for you, then there are other options available to you to feed fasting persons. You can:

Sponsor Iftar at the Masjid;

Sponsor Iftar for poor families;

Have several small Iftars at your home, and invite needy people to break their fast; or

Donate to the Masjids in poorer countries of the world;

This list is non-exhaustive and there is always something more you can do.

Furthermore, as these events often take a lot of time to plan and execute, all parties of the household should pitch in to assist in the preparations. Note that these preparations should not be so extravagant that we miss our Zhur and AsrSalaat nor should it make us miss crucial opportunities for extra blessings which we gain through reading Quran and Dhikr. The cooking, cleaning and other preparations should be minimized and shared among the wife, husband and children so that each person would have enough time to do their personal spiritual activities for the day.

Another great option which may be utilized in order to minimize the amount of time one person is spending in the kitchen preparing, is to ask each guest of the Iftar Party to bring one dish. This is a win-win situation because not only would they have an opportunity to receive more blessings by feeding fasting persons, but the hosts would not have as much work to do.

This Ramadan, let us focus more on attaining the most blessings that we can, and let’s try to implement my 6 etiquettes of Iftar in order to benefit as much as possible from this blessed month. Remember you can print out this article and keep it handy for reference throughout the month and share the inspiration with everyone around you!